Has it been that long since I posted?

I know I have been slacking in a major way when it comes to updating the blog and part of the reason has been my increasing reliance on Facebook.   It’s akin to that country song that talks about being so much cooler online.  What I’ve been trying to do is make sure to have as much fun as I can during our beatiful California summer.  Octoberfest was in Walnut Creek this past weekend and it was a great time.

I enjoy meeting people in a more relaxed setting and Octoberfest fits that bill.  To make sure to add some value to this post I need to direct you to a few sites that I check on a regular basis.

For music be sure to hit up the music blog Berg Loves Pizza.  Nothing is more satisfying than to be on the cutting edge and hear a song before it’s played 40,000 times to you!

Next, be sure that you read Real Clear Markets every morning.  It’s like the Wall Street Journal on Steroids and condensed version at that.  Perfect for my attention span.

That’s it and that’s all!

Did I really graduate THAT long ago?

Five years may not seem that long, but it equates to almost 1/5 of my time I’ve spent on earth.  My reminder of the anniversery came in the form of a class reunion at Saint Mary’s College.  The college prepares you well over a year in advance so that you have enough time to round up classmates to drag along to the festivities.  There is a certain amount of trepidation as my fear is being the kid that shows up still wearing his letterman’s jacket,  Josten’s class ring, and talking about just how awesome I was back then.

Fortunately I don’t own those two items and my athletic accomplishments are all contained in a intramural champions t-shirt I still flaunt on a regular basis.  Still, I was excited to see who would show up and the events that would unfold.

Getting off to a great start I picked up my friend and former housemate Natalie from the airport and quickly made a college run to Safeway to stock up for the weekend.  Being back on campus in the same dorm I lived in my Junior year of college was a trip.  It felt as if I had just erased five years of my life and was right back at it.  The rest of the roommates showed up the next day and we did all the things we did back in college.  Late nights tend to lead to very early mornings. 

Perhaps my favorite conversations and happenings were with the 50 years of alumni in which we shared housing with.  The class of 1989 was smart enough to have their wives stay at a local hotel so they could revel in the cramped housing and shared community living experience.  The takeaway after the weekend was that you are never too old to be a kid.  Just pick the right spots for it!

Why I Joined Facebook!

Admittedly I felt very defensive as I was filling out my profile for Facebook.  With over 150 million users I felt that it was now time to take the plunge.  I cautiously uploaded several photos so people could get a window into my world.  Little did I know how entreched the site has become in our culture.

I’m happy I signed up, for several reasons:

1. Family- Never has it been easier to keep tabs on what is going on with my brother’s high school life.  Sometimes at night we even get to chat which is a great bonus and something that didn’t exist before.

2. Travels- I can’t tell you how many people I wanted to stay in touch with in my travels but failed to do so.  Now, it has become so easy.  Coming back from France I had invitations waiting for me from people I met.

3. Simplifying information- This may send like an oxymoron, but Facebook condeses our social lives into a single source.  I think our hardest job right now is filtering the information that is presented to us.

These three points have justified my Facebook existence.  I still feel guilty for signing up, but it’s slowly fading away.  Feel free to add me on Facebook if you haven’t already.  I’m feeling a tad insecure about the “low friend count” I currently have.

Is life better when you are a part of a posse?

Joel Stein writes great opinion pieces for “Time Magazine.”  The best part is he makes them short enough that you can read them in less than five minutes.  One of my favorite articles is a piece he wrote about Flo Rida.  Flo Rida is a rapper from Florida who has had a couple hits lately.

With all this talk of Americans hesitant to spend their money it’s nice to read about someone who has the philosophy that you have to spend like you will be making more:

“On the ride over, as he showed me his $40,000 diamond-encrusted watch, I asked Flo, whose success is pretty recent and fragile, if spending all this money was such a good idea. He told me that rapper Rick Ross told him that you have to spend money with the confidence of someone who knows he’s going to make a lot more. I informed him that Rick Ross is not a certified financial adviser. “He’s certified. He makes a lot of money,” he told me. I could not argue with that logic. Not if I wanted to stay in the posse.”

Please don’t stop at just reading this, click here for the rest of the story.

Are we turning Japanese?

The question is based on more than just the one hit wonders “The Vapors.” What a great name for a band with one hit, right?

My question refers to the 1990’s where Japan lost 75% of the value of it’s stock exchange.  Real estate prices fell for fifteen consecutive years!  The banks had to write off 19% of Japan’s GDP from 1992-2005.  I hope you find these sobering stats.

We are in what has been called in the media countless times….uncharted waters.  This latest stimulus package is to me essentially a pinata that our elected officials broke open and then made a mad scramble to get as many benefits for their state as possible.

When 70% of our countries GDP is based on consumer spending and as we all know, everyone seems to be cutting back on their spending, it leads to a tought spot to be in.  One in five houses are underwater and according to a Business Week article I read this week forclosures could shoot upto almost 7 million houses in the next four years.

As tough as it is to swallow right now this will be good for our nation in the future.  I just hope we don’t have to lose a decade to prove it!

Skip Lacour’s workout wisdom

About four years ago I ran into a former bodybuilding champion.  On the surface level it didn’t make much sense how I recognized him in the first place.  I was in my weekly Toastmaster meeting and we had a few guests that week.  One of which looked strangely familiar.  The familiar where it’s somebody from your past but beyond that you can’t place it.

Then I remembered a roommate from college who was a weightlifting fan and as motivation he would hang certain bodybuilders near his desk.  One of them was Skip LaCour.  You can check out Skip’s website at www.manformation.com.  It’s got a lot of great info and he does a weekly radio show as well.

Skip and I became friends and I started to ask questions about becoming more fit and what are the activities that have the biggest payoffs.  He smiled like he had been asked a few thousand times the same questions.   The analogy that he gave which I still use is that the body is essentially an engine and 70% of how you look and feel are a direct result of the fuel you feed it.  It’s human nature to get swept into quick fixes so I thought to ask what is the best way to approach working out.

Then I heard Martha Beck speak.  Anybody that Oprah endorses has to be an expert right?  Wait…don’t answer that.  Regardless, she has a doctorate and has spent her lifetime researching why we do the things we do.  Around new years everybody is going to get into better shape and go to the gym more.

So they start and try to spend two hours each time.  Problem is, change occurs very slowly for us.  The better road to take for working out is merely to get into the habit of traveling there first.  Maybe the first time you drive to the gym that is all you do!  Next time spend five minutes.  Slowly you will rewire and spend more and more time there.

It’s fighting through the initial resistance that is so tough.  Slowly build up your stamina from there.  In my prior post I had talked about writing more thank you notes.  Guess how many I am starting with next week?  You go it, just one.

The power of a thank you

I wish I were better at recognizing at people when they do a favor or give a gift.  As I’m sure it’s your intention as well to mail of a nice note to thank them.  In this modern era the handwritten thank you has become an even more meaningful way of showing your gratitude.

I have a friend who is amazingly good at this so I thought it might be worth asking how they are so consistent with their handwritten notes.  It was quite simple as this person keeps a stack of various cards by their desk and have gotten in the habit of writing a note immediately after receiving something.  When I was at Wells Fargo I remeber being taught the two minute rule.

The rule is so basic that it made me mad finding out about it.  Basically, if an activity can be done in two minutes….do it.  Kind of like that Ron Popeli informercial king and his whole, “set it and forget it,” mantra.  So, I bought myself more thank you cards and those around me can start expecting to see them coming.  If I don’t know you yet, I’d be more than happy to send you one as I wouldn’t want you to be left out…

Bankruptcy 2009

Truth be told I really shouldn’t be focusing my attention this subject in light of the overwhelming amount of attention paid to the economy in 2008.  But, I thought what better way to start a new year than to start with my predictions of what celebrities will declare bankruptcy in 2009.  I present to you these candidates in no particular order:

Lil’ Wayne- I was reading an article about the man and it was the inspiration for the post.  The rapper/entertainer is the epitome of new and dissapearing wealth.  In the article it goes on at length about the sheer ridiculous of his vices.  Congrats to having a child at 15.  Also he has been arrested in each of the past two years.  Even though he has the best selling album of 2008 his money burn rate is second only to pets.com back in their hayday.

Donald Trump- For a gentlemen who claims to be an expert in financial matters he sure does know how to dig himself into some serious financial holes.  I don’t know how else to describe owing 900 million dollars in personal debt back in 1994.  The guy borrows like there is no tomorrow and seems to think life is a game of Jenga.  This house of cards will fall soon.

Pacman Jones- I won’t even get into his name.  This is the classic case of a young kid with no experience in money management getting a signing bonus.  I he will be using his last reserves of cash making it rain at an adult venue in Vegas by March.

Amy Winehouse- Unless she can somehow manage to get to the studio more than one every five years it will be tough to make it.  I’m betting that Winehouse alone supported a central american country last year because of her insatiable drug habit.  Great voice, amazing talent and I think there will still be a future for her no matter how hard she tries against it.

Liar’s Poker the sequel

Michael Lewis ranks as one of my ten favorite authors.  If you haven’t had a chance to read any of his works, it would be wise of you to visit www.addall.com and buy several of his books.  What Lewis does so well is simplify even the most complex ideas.

I like to joke that peaking out early is a mistake, but what he did with the book “Liar’s Poker” was beyond his years.  I read Lewis’s book this past week and was delighted he did a follow up piece on it.  Please click here and see what his current thoughts are.  I love the opening photograph.

A few of my favorite things

If it’s good enough for Oprah, it’s good enough for me.  Since we are a society of instant gratification I thought I would fire off a few bullet points of what I’m enjoying:

1.  The phrases “Debbie Downer” “Financial Armageddon” “Lack of Trust” “Wall Street versus Main Street.”  Remember the game mad libs where you were instructed to insert words and complete stories.   Try throwing one of the above phrases into every conversation you have and let me know how it works out for you.

2. The first rains of fall.  It’s great to see the Diablo Valley turn green.

3. Losing an election.  I tell people it’s a tough week for Republicans and then remind him how Obama got his start.

4. Guinness Beer.  Well, I consider it more of a meal, but there is nothing better on a frigid night.

5. Sports Night- Why this show didn’t last longer still shocks me.  If you wanted to know what happened behind the scenes at Sportscenter…